5 Ways to Avoid Spooking Buyers This Halloween

No matter the season, selling your home is serious business– but does it mean you have to forgo fun holiday activities like decorating your home? If you enjoy adorning your home with spider webs, jack-o-lanterns and black cats during Halloween time, don’t let putting your home for sale stand in your way. However, if you want your home to remain appealing to potential buyers, you may want to consider leaving your severed corpse prop in storage this year.

Don’t get too scary.

Sure, your very realistic zombie playground may be a hit with the neighbors every year, but selling your home will require you to keep your professionalism– after all, you’re trying to sell your house, not spook people away from your front lawn. Avoid any cringe-worthy Halloween décor like bloody handprints, tombstones, or morbid scenes.

Be respectful.

While Halloween may be one of your favorite holidays, it’s important to respect that not everyone celebrates the holiday. Consider lightly decorating the exterior of your home for the season instead of the holiday. Consider using “neutral fall décor” like pumpkins, a fall leaf wreath, or a friendly scarecrow. Even though your decorations aren’t necessarily scary, don’t go overboard– instead of cluttering your lawn with decorations, pick just one focal point and put one or two items there.

Avoid any permanent damage.

While you usually have no problem nailing decorations to the walls of your home, doing any potential damage to your home should be avoided while it’s for sale. When potential buyers come through your home, you don’t want them wondering, “If they don’t mind damaging the walls for Halloween decorations, what else in the house have they mistreated?” While showing a little Halloween spirit can be fun, try your best to keep it to a dull roar.

Leave the inside alone.

While decorating the outside of your home with some basic Halloween décor is tolerable, you may want to skip the interior this year. When potential buyers step foot in your home, it’s important that they’re able to envision what their life could be if they lived there. To help buyers see more clearly, skip Halloween decorations as well as any personal items (like family portraits or statement art pieces). If you decide to put any decorations inside the home for the spooky holiday, a little dish of Halloween candy for buyers and agents as they walk through the home is always appreciated.

Know when to call it a day.

Once Halloween is over, so are your decorations. Leaving them up too long can actually devalue your home and make it looked unkempt. Be sure to take down any interior or exterior decorations by November 1st. Along with taking down décor, be sure to give your home a good deep cleaning so that it looks great for potential buyers.

Do you think decorating your home for Halloween deters buyers? Tell us in the comment section below. For more tips on selling your home check out these home selling tips.